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A Letter To Your Future Self

I don’t. I’m not sure if that comes down to me being very brave or very stupid, but I try every day to do things even when they scare me.

Have a look at the photo below. This is me (top right) and Lisa Gillanders from Lashworx (top left) on top of the Skytower in Auckland – the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Heights terrify me and here I am 192 metres above the ground, with nothing to hold onto but my shrivelling dignity (I screamed – A LOT!). I did this skywalk despite my fear because I knew I would wish I had the courage to do it later on. I then base jumped to the bottom!

NO REGRETS.

I believe that everything in life is a learning curve – mistakes might be made along the way, we might even fail – but we also learn lessons about ourselves and how to do things better next time. Facing your fears and taking that first step (or having another try) WILL make you stronger.

On their death beds, people often say their biggest regret is not spending enough time with people they love, working too much or not trying or doing the thing they always dreamt they would. I don’t ever want that to be me!

Getting a good work/ home balance is tough – reeeeeally tough – especially when you are trying to run your own business and are at the beck and call of your clients. You can’t turn business away but you can’t kill yourself making everyone happy either!

We are all unique and want different things from life. Some people running their own business will work until they reach their weekly target and then take the rest of the week off. Others will be pushed by drive and ambition and set out to take over the world, bring up kids, have a happy home and a thriving business – all at the same time!

We all have something we would love to do someday. We kid ourselves by saying when we get *there* we will: not work so hard – have time for yoga – go on a holiday – start our own business – (Insert your *there*).

So where the hell is *THERE* and why can’t it be *HERE*!!! The someday you’re waiting for to make your move, learn something new (or do a base jump) CAN be today.

The best advice I can ever give is to write yourself a letter. No half-hearted I can’t think of …! Tell yourself what you are happy with in your life and what you are not happy with. What do you want to do in the next 6 months? It could be simply to have a date with your partner, join the gym and actually go, start your own business. Retrain, do a new course, quit your job or move to Timbuktu! Tell yourself why you want and need these things to happen.

Don’t hold back, get it all in there and then pop it in an envelope, stick it somewhere safe to open in 6 months and let your future self have a little read. Will you have done any of the things you listed? Chances are you won’t because life gets in the way. We get busy. We put everyone else before ourselves.

Instead, think about the contents of your letter every day and spend the next 6 months putting EVERYTHING you have into doing what you said you needed. Otherwise, you could reopen that same letter year after year and nothing will have changed. You will still be upset by the same things, dreaming of the same things and holding yourself back from feeling fulfilled.

Nothing will have changed and that my friend is what your regrets will be! So do it. Make *there* HERE. Make your someday, TODAY and take that base jump!

Start living for you, choose to be happy, smile and remember always – don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to live